View Full Version : Technics SL-3200 or classic Rega Planar 2 with RB250 arm
loonytunes
06-01-2015, 21:11
I currently have both - and when giving them both a spin I notice that the Technics is very good and is not pushed aside by the mighty Rega Planar 2.
It's not a very fair comparison because I'm not using the same cart on each of them (EPS270 on Technics and Ortofon OM10 on Rega) but I looking for experience from the forum in support of the lowly Technics if it deserves it.
The SL-3200 has great functionality, whereas the Rega Planar 2 has great Classic status - what are your opinions on either one of them - I want to keep one and sell the other.
People are finding out that the DD tables of the 70's and 80's are not the spawn of the Devil that the audio press has made them out to be. They are not just good, they are very good.
My $0.02 -- Sell the Rega now before more people start to discover that it's not as good as it's reputation.
Inclined to agree. I'd have the Techie before the P2 as well
It's worth swapping the cartridges around and trying them on the other tables - if the stylus is still in good condition, I would not assume the Technics cart was poor performer...
loonytunes
07-01-2015, 08:29
It's worth swapping the cartridges around and trying them on the other tables - if the stylus is still in good condition, I would not assume the Technics cart was poor performer...
OK will do! Good to know that a Technics cart will work on a Rega deck.
I know that the SL-3200 is no SL-1200, but the specs are good and it works really well. However, despite the lovely convenience of the Technics (semi-auto, removable head-shell, strobe) I am gunning for the best sonics. Reading into these things it seems that the Rega has an amazing arm (the RB250) whereas the Technics is just a well built direct drive with, well, the Technics arm (nothing much is said about the Technics arms).
loonytunes
07-01-2015, 10:36
...in addition to the above advice about swapping carts to test the decks, I was considering buying 'two' low cost AT-95E carts (which get great reviews) instead.
However, reading the instructions for the SL-3200 they instruct you to install a headshell weight if fitting a cart under 6g - the AT-95E is 5.7g. I don't have the headshell weight, does anyone know if the SL-1200 headshell weights are compatible with the SL-3200?
Why not determine which deck you like better, sell the other, and take that money, and the money for the second cart, and buy something really nice? :) :) :)
Ammonite Audio
08-01-2015, 11:35
I may be wrong but having read the manual on VE, the SL-3200 appears to be from an age before quartz-locked drive systems. Some of the DD decks from that era were indeed as awful as the press of the day stated, but this one could well be one of the gems, with a gentle servo action (like the Pioneer PL-71). The two reviews over at VE certainly seem to indicate that it's a good one.
If it gives more musical pleasure than the Rega, the best course of action is obvious.
loonytunes
08-01-2015, 11:54
Thanks for that reply Ammonite - it certainly sounds very fine but I'm not overly experienced with vinyl playback.
I would like to read the reviews over at VE if you could point me in the right direction? There's plenty of reviews about the Rega with that amazing RB250 arm, but more info about the SL-3200 would be very useful to me. Perhaps the SL-3200 is a sleeper? I don't want to let the Technics and all its convenience leave me if it's at least as good at the formidable Rega Planar 2 (so they say).
www.vinylengine.com/turntable_reviews.php?make=Technics&model=SL-3200
My opinion about the planar2 is that it's a throughly average deck ( and that description is generous) with a slightly better than good arm. I have had plenty of rega in the day, and my experience says that the rb300 is a very good arm (with crap wire) and its the exemplary performance of thier arms that let Rega get away with making such light and chintzy tables. (Again, my opinion. )
I had a Planar25 as my primary table for more than a decade- it's very, very nice. But I sold it one week after getting an SL-1200 on a whim.
Anyway, the rb250 is a decent arm, but I wouldn't think it's a giant slayer.
Listen to the two tables. Listen to both carts on each. Go with the one that sounds better to you. Just because one is supposed to be better, doesn't mean it is.
... And anyway, setup makes more difference than you would expect, so make sure everything is dialed in perfectly before deciding .
loonytunes
09-01-2015, 08:24
Why not determine which deck you like better, sell the other, and take that money, and the money for the second cart, and buy something really nice? :) :) :)
What would be really nice though? Looking at the specs of the 3200 it's not far off that of a 1200 - so perhaps the 1200 is not such a giant leap forward. I did consider selling both decks and getting a modern Rega P3. I'm just thinking, what actually would be a significant and obvious step up without spending silly money?
Would it be more cost effective to spend more on the cartridge for the 3200 with the funds from the Rega for example? This is also a mute point too, because looking at Amazon reviews of the low cost AT95E shows just how very good this low cost cartridge is.
youll certainly better the at95 for not too much money. not that its bad and with a he stylus is even better. an ortofon red or better a blue would be a big step forward.
loonytunes
09-01-2015, 09:26
youll certainly better the at95 for not too much money. not that its bad and with a he stylus is even better. an ortofon red or better a blue would be a big step forward.
OK so sell the Rega, buy something along the lines of an Ortofon Blue for the Technics SL-3200 - and that's that - should be as good as a deck needs to be!
Good to know that the 3200 is built well enough to appreciate the cart upgrade.
I did consider selling both decks and getting a modern Rega P3.
Might as well just keep the Planar 2 if that's the way you are leaning. (I.E., yes, the RP3 is most certainly a better table, but it's not going to be all that different than what you have.)
I'm just thinking, what actually would be a significant and obvious step up without spending silly money?
And there lay the problem - essentially anything new is going to be more similar to the Rega than the Technics, as the tables such as the Technics are not made anymore. (High-quality mass-market tables that were produced in real quantity - whereby economies of scale could keep the price from spiraling out of control)
Would it be more cost effective to spend more on the cartridge for the 3200 with the funds from the Rega for example?
Aha. Yes.
This is also a mute point too, because looking at Amazon reviews of the low cost AT95E shows just how very good this low cost cartridge is.
Well... there is no doubt or argument that the AT95 is an exemplary £25 cartridge -- but it's only a £25 cartridge...
loonytunes
09-01-2015, 16:45
I wasn't really meaning to seek the Rega P3 especially - I've just heard good things about it so thought that it may have been the logical brand new TT choice in the affordable bracket.
Or as you tend to imply, simply spend more on the SL-3200 cart and this old beast should be as good as a modern-day Rega.
Or as you tend to imply, simply spend more on the SL-3200 cart and this old beast should be as good as a modern-day Rega.
With all honesty, it will likely be much better.
Ammonite Audio
09-01-2015, 17:11
Before you lash out on new cartridges, do check and adjust the tonearm bearings!
Might I suggest that only one person has the means to settle this...you, the owner of the two decks. It does not matter one jot what the rest of us think, and the reviews are often highly misleading, with all sorts of agendas being pushed.
Listen to both decks with the same cartridge, over a period of days, if not weeks. Decide which you prefer...ignorewhat you have read. There are too many 'sheep' in this hobby, always seeking the validation of other opinions. Don't be one of them. Put in the effort and decide for yourself. You'l be happiest that way, and waste less money.
Good luck.
Listen to both decks with the same cartridge, over a period of days, if not weeks. Decide which you prefer...ignore what you have read.
I agree completely. :)
loonytunes
12-01-2015, 15:00
Before you lash out on new cartridges, do check and adjust the tonearm bearings!
How do I do this on a Technics SL-3200? How, in fact, would I know they even need adjusting - are there tell tale signs?
Have you had a chance to listen to both (or your favorite) cartridge(s) on each table?
loonytunes
21-01-2015, 08:52
Hi 6L6 - recent events stopped me in my tracks in evaluating them both properly.
For now I'm going to have to evaluate them with their current MM carts in place (the Technics has a Technics EPS 270 cart, and the Rega has its original Ortofon 510).
I use the Technics most of the time because it's so convenient. However, playing a few records - notably the Tracy Chapman album - the treble can be very "tsssts" sounding from vocals only (if that makes sense). The EPS 270 cart has a new elliptical stylus, and I'm wondering if it's just fault in the record. I'm fairly new to the vinyl game so that's my first concern. Trouble is I don't know the logical way of establishing where the problem lies (it could be on the record itself for example). Should I buy a 'test' record?
The TT seems to work flawlessly but I assume it has never been serviced despite being immaculate.
You may be getting the impression that I "hope" the Technics sounds better than the Rega - because I enjoy the 'extras' the Technics brings to the table.
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